cringe
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Looking back, it's so cringe because I just remember so clearly him sliding that piece of paper back to me and being like, ‘Fine.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
“I guess I like cringe comedy,” Kelly says, outing himself as a fan of the awkward comedy duo Tim & Eric.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The results of a recent survey from wealth-management platform Betterment are making America’s financial advisers cringe.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Social media users were also split, with one viewer writing that Meghan was "warm, gracious and a delight to watch" while another called Prince Harry's cameo appearance "cringe".
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
I conceal my cringe behind what I hope is a wry smile.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
"That was me in high school," she cringes.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
He drives a Ford pickup truck and cringes at needing a security detail, according to a person who knows him well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Moss opens up about his struggles to negotiate the demands of the practical world, while Hodgetts performs brilliant critiques of the others’ work, sometimes to broad smiles, others to cringes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025
I'm a loving person who cringes at everything associated with February 14, a fan of democracy who wants to hide every time July 4 rolls around and a very grateful individual who actively dislikes Thanksgiving.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2023
Sammy rubs his forehead and cringes, as if realizing he walked right into that one.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Like almost every parent, I cringed whenever my child or another player headed the ball.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
“I cringed at being a sacrificial pawn in their game of relationship chess,” Davis writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
“Daddy’s home,” someone said, and a nation cringed.
From Slate ● Nov. 16, 2023
The lead lawyer for Google "visibly cringed" when the specific share of ad revenue sent to Apple was revealed, according to Bloomberg.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2023
In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
"Every time I see it, I'm cringing, I'm in disbelief," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
“If you’re cringing about writing one performance review, imagine your manager who has to write 15 of them,” says executive coach Sabina Nawaz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
These lies are so dumb and easy to disprove that the onetime criminal defense attorney in me is cringing.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2024
And I didn’t want to ruin that moment, so I was just stuck in a different room, laughing and cringing, all that stuff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
A head was shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; a moment later, a man was standing where Scabbers had been, cringing and wringing his hands.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Vocabulary lists containing cringe
The Lingo of Body Language
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"Of Mice and Men"
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List 13
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